Press Releases
Pascrell Statement On House Passage Of Stem Cell Legislation
Washington, DC,
July 18, 2006
Tags:
Health Care
U.S. Rep. BIll Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today made the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act and the Alternative Pluripotent Therapies Enhancement Act. "Last year, the House of Representatives acted responsibly to promote bipartisan stem cell research legislation and today the Senate has soundly approved this much needed legislation. H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, a scientifically based compromise cognizant of ethical and moral concerns involved, will permit research on stem cells derived from voluntarliy donated embryos left over from in vitro fertilization attempts which are already slated to be destroyed. It is shameful that the President will use his veto power for the first time in six years to defeat a scientific advancement that could reverse the most deadly and disabling diseases known to mankind. Today the Congress reaffirmed its commitment to responsible stem cell exploration by outlawing research on human embryos human resulting from pregnancies created specifically for that purpose. While this is an important boundary for embryonic stem cell research, it is not a susbstitute for the federal government taking the lead in this area of biomedical research in order to truly move this science forward. Congress must not get on board the President’s politically motivated bandwagon to deny the real possibility of life saving therapies for millions of Americans who suffer from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s. This President has shown that he will once again choose a divisive political strategy over implementing a good policy, and it is incumbent for Congress to reverse his irresponsible actions." ### |